The use of technology and digital capabilities will be fundamental to delivery of an effective health and care system for the population of Lincolnshire. These technologies will assist in maximising the use of available system resources.

There is significant potential for the transformation of health and social care services through more effective and widespread use of digital technologies – by helping staff to work more efficiently and effectively to improve health and care outcomes for people. These new and integrated ways of providing care will require local health and care professionals to change the way they care for people. For example, providing information to enable the population to help themselves, and a growing role for technology in supporting people to monitor and manage their own health and wellbeing. Technology can also enhance people’s experience of accessing services.

To ensure we digitally enable our staff and empower Lincolnshire’s population we will:

• Provide public facing digital services,
• Ensure strong foundations for technology-enabled care,
• Drive digital readiness and digital inclusion.

Our approach is covered by the themes below:

Theme 1: Provide Information and advice to support ease of access and promote self-help and self-management.

Theme 2: Increase use of technology to deliver effective health and care services across the community.

Theme 3: Maximize uptake and use of Digital Care Records.

Reliable, secure, fit for purpose infrastructure is required for digital health solutions to deliver benefits for patients, service users and staff. As a large rural and coastal county, connectivity and access to digital provision is a challenge. However, as a system, we need to collectively address this.

We recognise that people need to be able to receive and find information easily and quickly if we want them to keep well, to help them access services, and to use digital tools that support their health and care needs.

• Access to information online – To support people to manage their health and wellbeing we will provide guidance online which is easily accessible and meaningful to them. The way in which we produce and make available information is an important part of supporting our population to maintain their own health and wellbeing. The focus will be on providing support and advice on conditions of ill-health alongside information on how and when to access services, events or activities, as and when it is appropriate.
• There is a vast amount of information available online, however, as a system we need to improve the quality of the information to ensure it is up-to-date and easily accessible. We need to collectively ensure we signpost people to the relevant information quickly and effectively, reducing the risk of duplication or confusion which has the potential to increase unnecessary accessing of services.
• Self-management – Digital tools provide the ability to offer a personalised approach to self-help and self-management. Online tools can guide people to find the right support at the right time. Technology can have a role in patients, or their carers taking a more active role in the management of long-term conditions and anticipating interventions to support health and wellbeing.

To drive digital readiness and inclusion we will need to improve the digital literacy of our staff. We will have to foster a “digital mindset” and a culture that helps us to design the right solutions to support effective service provision. This will ensure our staff have the skills and confidence to use digital technologies; it will create capacity allowing services the ability to cope with rising demand; and provide the public with a wider range of digital and non-digital ways to access services.

• Communication and engagement with professionals – Digital technologies can expand the ability of the workforce to cope with the rising demand on services. We will provide digital tools for wellbeing, such as apps, or wearable technologies, and increase the public awareness of our digital offer. Individuals will be able to take greater ownership of their care and rely less on care professionals. It is also helpful for users to have an efficient way to communicate remotely with care professionals, particularly their Care Coordinator. While such interactions could happen via telephone, more sophisticated online approaches can bring additional benefits and support an improved end-user experience.
• Remote monitoring – Remote monitoring tools can help people manage their own health and care needs whilst also providing information on wellbeing for friends, family, care and health professionals. This provides assurances to friends and family, as well as alerting professionals when a person’s needs change. This means that support can be provided when needed, making better use of human resources.
• Digital skills – We will support our workforce to have the skills and confidence to use digital tools in their work. They will also require support in their confidence to be able to promote the use of technology with the people they work with.
• Digital inclusion – We will support people who access health and care services to use digital methods, championing the benefits and providing support where needed, because people who are able to use technology to stay well, improve their recovery and make informed decisions about their use of health and care services.

The introduction of digital health and care solutions can be utilised to better deliver services, and the health benefits, in a way that is evidence led, improves quality outcomes, and can deliver savings. We will expand pilot digital initiatives where they have proved to be successful working with system partners from both the public and VCFSE sector as appropriate to effectively embed them. 

• Migration of paper systems to digital solutions will mean people’s health and care records and plans can be joined up and made instantly accessible. This will improve the speed of pathways and the accuracy and availability of information. Improved interoperability will ensure that staff who need information have it, where and when they need it, to improve decision making, improve patient experience and reduce risk.
• Access to own care record and care plan – To truly be empowered, people will require access to their own care record and care plan, containing a summary of their care information from their care coordinator and service providers. Individuals themselves might contribute to their care record and care plan with additional information. This will require working with local people, carers, and families so they are empowered to set their own care goals and manage their own wellbeing – being a part of a multi-disciplinary team and delivering responsive and proactive care. This all supports the “what matters to me?” theme – which is a core part of Enabler 3 of this strategy.

There are close links between the way we use data and intelligence to plan and deliver services and the use of digital technology. These are set out in Strategic Enabler 5: Data & Intelligence.